Antisocial Chapter 41

Chapter 41. Wall

Bo-yeon picked up a pen for the first time in a while and began writing down her resident registration number. When she handed over the completed forms, the soldier checked her identity right in front of her.

“Huh?”

Do-kyung sat beside Bo-yeon as the administrative soldier across from him repeatedly clicked his mouse, tilting his head in confusion.

Thump thump. The keyboard made a loud noise. After a while, the administrative soldier stared blankly at the monitor.

 

The screen in front of the soldier displayed large, bold red letters.

It was a command flagging a VIP—a top-priority search target.

“C-can you please wait a moment?”

The investigator fumbled, hastily contacting his superior.

“We’ll move to the quarantine station.”

After successfully completing identity verification, Bo-yeon was instructed to proceed. Just as she was about to go first, Do-kyung grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down beside him.

“She’ll wait with the group.”

There was a brief moment of tension, but nothing escalated. It didn’t seem to be a major issue—at least for now.

“What’s going on?”

Bo-yeon glanced at the busy soldiers, her unease growing. Had something gone wrong? She turned to Do-kyung and asked.

He leaned in, pressing his lips close to her ear.

“I don’t know. It’s my first time here, too.”

His warm breath brushed against her earlobe, sending an unexpected shiver down her spine. Jolted, she shot him a sharp glance.

“People are worried, and you’re playing around?” she whispered.

“Worried?” Do-kyung’s eyes flashed dangerously. “You just kept going.”

His large hand tightened around her slender wrist, pulling her closer.

“Without fear.”

His low, growling breath seemed to scratch against her earlobe. The word “run away”—a lingering trauma—stabbed through Bo-yeon’s mind like a blade.

“Ah, no, I… because they told me to…”

As Bo-yeon was mumbling an excuse, a soldier who seemed to be his superior entered the tent.

It was commonly called the Rose of Sharon, but it was actually a military officer’s rank insignia that was shaped like a bamboo leaf. Bo-yeon could tell that he was a considerably high rank.

“G-get your unit ready!”

The soldiers in the barracks started to fuss as soon as they saw him.

“Salute to the regimental commander!”

“Sa! Lute!”

The voices of soldiers with their military discipline rang in his eardrums.

“Salute.”

The officer saluted lightly and looked straight at Do-kyung.

“Captain Joo Do-kyung?”

Bo-yeon suddenly felt uneasy at the title that had a military rank attached to it.

Surely, this guy… isn’t a deserter?

* * *

Colonel Kim Seok-mu, commander of the Special Forces Regiment under the 2nd Corps of the Republic of Korea Army’s Ground Operations Command, led Do-kyung to a secluded area. The unit, commonly known as the Elite Training Unit, was renowned for its rigorous standards. Kim Seok-mu was also the officer in charge of the 17th Refugee Shelter.

“The Commander deeply regretted your retirement from the Special Forces at a time like this. He postponed the administrative processing and tried to find you. You were only dismissed from your position and marked as missing—but you are still a soldier.”

Less than a week after Do-kyung’s retirement, the zombie outbreak erupted, claiming countless lives. Status and rank became meaningless. Even high-ranking generals had fallen, and those who survived quickly rose to fill the vacancies.

Now, the former Special Forces Commander had ascended to the role of Army Chief of Staff and Martial Law Commander—a position wielding immense power. It was under his orders that Code Zero had been placed on Do-kyung.

Do-kyung remained silent, his expression unreadable. Despite being on the same side, the colonel couldn’t suppress a chill creeping through his chest—standing before Do-kyung felt eerily like facing a powerful zombie.

It was the overwhelming sense of intimidation radiating from Do-kyung that unsettled the colonel.

“Hm. You must be confused. But if you stay here, you’ll soon understand. It’s fortunate that you still have your military status.”

The personal information of special mission unit members was typically classified as a Level 2 military secret due to its sensitivity.

However, Do-kyung’s records were different. His personal information and mission logs were stamped with “TOP SECRET” in red—a Level 1 military secret, beyond even a colonel’s clearance.

No ordinary soldier warranted that level of secrecy. Only someone capable of silently eliminating high-ranking foreign officials under strict protection—HVTs (High-Value Targets)—would be given such a designation.

“The land where our citizens can live freely and safely has been cut in half. The military needs someone like you.”

Do-kyung stared blankly at the highest-ranking soldier in the area.

Although he had luckily acquired the abilities of the Gourmet Mutant, controlling the human brain with precision was difficult. However, he could implant suggestions—subtle yet powerful, nearly indistinguishable from brainwashing.

The colonel’s focus blurred for a moment.

“…I’ll give you two days. Think about it.”

Finally, the colonel showed the utmost courtesy he could and sent Do-kyung away.

* * *

After completing the admission procedures, Bo-yeon sought out Do-kyung on her own—or rather, the administrative soldier had brought her to him.

If she were caught wandering alone, he would find an excuse to harass her again. He enjoyed tormenting Bo-yeon as much as he did hunting.

If someone asked why she hadn’t run away from Do-kyung, even after arriving at the refugee camp where civilians could offer protection, she wouldn’t be able to explain her feelings clearly.

Just thinking about running away made her teeth chatter. Deep down, she doubted things would be any different here.

She didn’t fully understand the extent of his abilities, but the ones she had seen were terrifying—especially his power to manipulate people. Something in her instincts warned that escaping from him wouldn’t be so simple.

And so, she remained, unsure of what to do. As if guided by habit, by sheer inertia, she found herself searching for him.

Bo-yeon was just blankly passing the time in front of the building where he was.

“What do you need?”

Then, a soldier spoke to Bo-yeon in a casual tone.

There were two diamonds on the officer’s shoulder straps.

“No, it’s okay,” Bo-yeon replied, realizing the question was about whether she needed help.

The officer’s demeanor shifted, “Oh, are you a military family member?”

His tone grew noticeably more polite. Bo-yeon tilted her head, wondering if it was forbidden for anyone other than officials to stand here.

“Oh, I’m a new refugee, and if I stand here— Aah!”

Slap! Bo-yeon’s eyes suddenly flashed as she explained the situation.

She unconsciously grabbed the cheek she had been hit by, feeling her skin swell up hotly. Blinking, she didn’t understand what was going on.

“Why are you confusing me? You’re just a prostitute who’s just trying to sell her body?”

“What, why, why, are you like this… .”

Bo-yeon backed away from the sudden violence. It was creepy that there were people passing by, but they just glanced at the loud noise and just passed by.

“You rag bitch, you’re acting innocent. It doesn’t work on me. Don’t be problematic and follow me.”

Her wrist was grabbed along with endless verbal abuse. Bo-yeon, who was being dragged by the fierce force, struggled and resisted.

“D-don’t do that. Why are you doing this! I don’t like it! Help me!”

“Wow, this fucking bitch is rejecting a customer? You’re trying to get away.”

That’s when the officer raised his hand. A large, black back covered Bo-yeon. A sound that was incomparable to the one she had been hit with rang out.

Smack!

It was an incredibly cut-throat bursting sound.

“…Kok! Koheok!”

The officer, who was hit and burst out of mouth, was reeling through blood and saliva. His brain was ringing like he was baptized with a slap.

Smack! Smack! Slap!

Do-kyung slapped the officer’s cheek without any explanation. Furthermore, he only persistently slapped the side of the cheek that Bo-yeon had been hit on.

“What are you doing! Get off him now!”

The soldiers who had been watching the actions jumped out at the commotion and aimed their guns at Do-kyung. They were soldiers of lower rank than the officer.

“S-stop it!”

Bo-yeon, who came to her senses, became thoughtful and stopped Do-kyung.

However, Do-kyung ignored the situation and continued to beat the officer like a dog. It was a tense situation where the soldiers were about to explode.

“You can’t even recognize your superior. Where are you pointing your gun!”

The colonel ran outside and kicked the shins of soldiers who aimed their guns at the police officer.

“Ak! I-I apologize!”

“I will correct this!”

The colonel, who had been disciplined by the soldiers under his command, glanced at Bo-yeon.

Despite her youthful face, she was strikingly beautiful. Her skin was as white as snow, and the gentle slant of her eyes gave her a sorrowful yet elegant aura.

The clothes she wore were of such high quality that they stood out in the refugee camp, where such luxuries were rare.

Though wrapped tightly against the winter cold, women who dressed so neatly in the camp typically fell into one of three categories: military personnel, family members of military personnel, or refugee prostitutes.

The first two groups took care to avoid misunderstandings. To distinguish themselves, they wore official passes issued to military personnel and their immediate family members around their necks.